arrow head
Spread eagle on the granite foyer. The earth is wet from pouring to dead friends. We meet up and she gets naked and that is sacred. I lose her when I lose myself, I cry under some influence. I cry under some influence; the flow of water is overwhelming. I fall into fire and try to phoenix. The city lights make a zombie. On my momma, on the side of the road. Everything is why I run.
destroyed
Inventing death
at the Richmond hop-out.
That real magic spell
took my breath away.
At least the scam got me
further than my genius.
It can be hard to understand
where the graffiti becomes the trees.
If they remember how they used to look
when they knew bigger words than I do.
I guess that is the reality of being
the dark as the sun comes up.
t-shirt and it’s raining hard
Undressing the highway,
leaving an ex-wife reunion.
I’ve been staring at the road so long
people are uncomfortable.
This is the first time in 16 years
I don’t have hair in my eyes.
I’m painting pictures in my mind,
over the wider parts of the Ohio River.
I like to make the moment
and watch the art grow.
A log named True Violence
floats downriver.
I make a business decision
and hold onto dear life.
The gods in camouflage
ride ATVs along the water.
They have smiles on their faces
when they yell my new name.
dreams end where they take you
like the games on my phone
I take up space
like how road head is true love
it’s okay to slur your words
when you cover the earth
paint the whole thing so it can forget its past
I’m one of those buildings on the side of the highway
that sells fireworks
Modern Warfare
as the sun goes down
at the vape shop
I guess I am
out of this world
touching the mirror
for selfish reasons
not thinking
only praying
the dream I have
will end September
I don’t want to hurt
or be a soldier boy
any way out of here
will make my truth
because the trend
I have with money
it is a punishment
for being sexy
words of pleasure
and the party
the lights are neon
the camera is on
in the 21st century
in this mid life
I think I still think
image is everything
and it’s a hard thing
to slow time down
to not be ashamed
to be on my mind
I’m not the same person
who took the stage then
like DJ lowkey
caught the bouquet
and died from whatever
I said bye bye Johnny
the people are sad
smoke a preroll
be more eternal
talk 007
in the black night air
I can behave
like birds hide themselves
I have been myself
for so long
and earth happy
it is awful
it is natural
good looks kill
all bad people
everything I thought
was cool is coming
to be the state champs
and vibe out hard
I still get excited
by one million dollars
the first time I slept
Kari said it was green
and then I saw rainbows
and time ran out
on the first half of life
how fast it changes
the amazing stories
and urban pastoral
the liminal makeup
and fashion hype songs
it’s all art
in new context
and the truth of it is
life is volcanic
and I am such a fan
of the noise
the permanence
of the fade
∩
Nick Hedtke is what the world looks like.